"Mean Girls" star Avantika is opening up about the ways colorism in India ultimately affected her self-esteem. Marleen Moise / WireImage / Getty Images In a recent interview with Cosmopolitan, Avantika spoke candidly about the harsh beauty standards set for women in South Asia and the negative connotations given to women with her complexion or darker. Monica Schipper / Getty Images “I have definitely always felt uglier in India than I have here,” Avantika said.
“The colorism situation is primarily one of the biggest reasons why.” Eric Charbonneau / Getty Images for Sony Pictures Advertisement She said the representation in both American and Indian media is lacking when it comes to portraying people who look like her and people who are of a similar background. Gilbert Flores / WWD via Getty Images “I’m South Indian, and there’s this perception that North Indian women are more beautiful than South Indian women.
And the South Indian women who do reach insane levels of success in India are very light-skinned — some have become lighter skinned [referring to skin bleaching].” Gotham / GC Images / Getty Images But lately, she's been seeing more and more darker South Asian women put in leading roles on screen, which has made her feel more optimistic about the future of representation. Avantika said "Bridgerton" is one example of mainstream media embracing darker complexions.
Gilbert Carrasquillo / GC Images / Getty Images Advertisement "Seeing myself represented in .
